Exposed
by Enchanted Ice Star
Summary: S&S are strangers to one another until they meet one day in Japan. They get along right away, but 3 months later, Syaoran sees Sakura working at a club where leather and cleavage is a must. Money, heated romance, and dreams get whipped together. -PAUSED-
1. Free Fall

  
  
  
  
Full Summary:   
  
Syaoran and Sakura are complete strangers when they meet on the hill next to the cemetery one peaceful afternoon. The two seem to click and talk as if they were old friends, but soon night falls and Sakura must leave to go home and Syaoran is left with only the name Sakura Kinomoto and the short time they had together. Three months later, Syaoran returns to Tokyo, Japan to meet his best friend Eriol. When he brings Syaoran to the hottest nightclub in the city where leather and cleavage is necessary, he is shocked to see the familiar face of Sakura as one of the club girls. Could you say a completely different person or what? But Syaoran is determined to find out why Sakura chose such a low lifestyle, compared to his life of mansions and university. Will the two be able to put away their differences in society, attitude, and merely themselves? Or maybe they're not so different after all. S+S  
  
AN: Aiya, I almost forgot to say, this is **AU (alternate universe)** and in this fic Sakura's mother is not dead until uh...she dies. Yes, you'll get what I mean when you read ^^;;  
  
  
Disclaimer: CCS and all characters belong to CLAMP.  
  
  
  
  
  


**Exposed**  
Chapter 1  
_Free fall_  


  
  
  
  
  
  
It was one of those afternoons that she enjoyed sitting outside to see the sunshine and the breeze ruffle the grass. It was one of those afternoons that seemed heavenly and surreal. And yet the simple thought that she was at the cemetery visiting her parents' resting place seemed to shatter the moment. Yes, she would rather go to the park and watch the toddlers throw sand at eachother in the sandbox. But of course, she found herself at the cemetery and found her eyes burning again.  
  
No, she bit her lip hard. She would not cry again. It would only upset her parents who were probably watching her from above as she stood in front of the freshly mounded dirt, and the shiny tombstones that winked back at her. She turned around quickly and ran up the green hill right next to the local cemetery. She remembered rolling down the hill endless times when she was a child. But that stopped when her brother told her there were ghosts around.   
  
Yet right now, she didn't care.  
  
She ran up to the very top and simply stood for a good minute or two, breathing in the perfect air of the outdoors. Nothing seemed out of place. Except for the fact that her parents' bodies lay behind her at rest. She sighed and sat down, taking a thick sketchpad out of her bag and an assortment of different sized pencils. No sound disturbed the ones in internal sleep, and she wasn't about to break the spell.  
  
So she began to sketch. She drew the view she saw below her. The roofs of houses and the smoke drifting out of them. She imagined happy families sitting around the table, talking about the day's events. She sighed with longing. It was only her brother and herself now. Around the big square table fit for four. She scolded herself for thinking silly thoughts and sketched the clouds with a thick pencil. She wasn't sure how much time had gone by, but she was content with the serenity around her. Yet that was broken when she heard the cracking of a twig somewhere down below her.  
  
She didn't bother to turn around.  
  
"Not yet Touya, give me fifteen more minutes," she automatically said.  
  
The sound didn't stop as the footsteps drew near, and yet she still didn't bother to turn as she finished the sun and the roof of a white house. She nibbled at the eraser on the tip of her pencil for a second before a voice interrupted.  
  
"Nice sketch."  
  
And suddenly the tranquility seemed to shatter as she didn't recognize that voice at all. It was not her brother after all. She quickly spun around and thought she was seeing a chimera. A simple mirage, because the face that looked back at her seemed too handsome to be real. Breathless, she could not reply until she thought about what her brother had told her so long ago. "Hoe? Are you a ghost?" She found the question tumbling out of her lips.  
  
The young man laughed and shoke his head. He reached out to touch her, much to her surprise, but was suddenly calmed by the warmth his hand gave to her cool cheek. "See, I'm warm."  
  
She blushed at her own stupidity and turned away. "Gomen nasai."  
  
"No problem," the stranger answered casually as he sat down on a patch of grass a few feet away. He suddenly turned to look at her sketch and pointed out, "Maybe you should shade more colours in the sky."  
  
She tilted her head as she envisioned his idea on her drawing. She finally nodded, "Thanks."  
  
The stranger said something about the grass being wet and how his pants were getting soggy. She found herself giggling as she agreed that the grass was indeed wet. They talked about the houses below and how they all seemed to look like they were from a storybook, undisturbed and beautiful. They talked about the sky slowly dimming and how the sun seemed to say goodbye as it neared the edge of the horizon. He talked about the glow and the hues, and the splatter of colours in the twilight sky.  
  
She could not help but turn to look at him. "You sure know alot about colours."  
  
"I know about other things too," he replied.  
  
"Like?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know...sword fighting, sports- soccer being my favourite, and cooking is enjoyable too," he added thoughtfully and sighed.  
  
She observed him carefully and questioned with curiousity, "Why sigh when you're such a talented guy? Too many girls lining up around the block?"  
  
"No, that's not it," he seemed to flush a bit. "It doesn't matter how many talents I have because my life's planned." His face fell slightly.  
  
"Planned?" She blinked.  
  
"Yeah...family issues," he answered and turned to face her. She once again felt that breathlessness overcome her as the stranger's intense amber eyes pierced her very soul. "How about you?"  
  
"What about me?" She quickly looked away.  
  
"Are you an artist?"  
  
She snorted lightheartedly. "Me? An artist? Hardly!" She picked up her pencil. "I draw for enjoyment. I feel happy and light when I simply sit and draw. I dream too. But when I stop dreaming I think about the silliness of it in the first place."  
  
"Why?"  
  
She shrugged, "It's like you and your 'planned life'. I think I'm stuck where I am."  
  
"On this hill you mean?"  
  
She laughed and shook her head, "No, of course not."  
  
"Oh," he seemed to think his question was as normal as can be. "Why sit here of all places then?"  
  
"...I like it. I feel at home," she explained. "You?"  
  
"Oh, I'm just visiting this town," he answered. "I'm from Hong Kong."  
  
"Ah, interesting," she twiddled her pencil in her hand and drew some smoke. "I'm a lifer in this town. No traveling for good old me."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Family issues," she echoed with a smug smile, just as a voice called from a distance. The sun had slipped away without their notice, and she could only look around her shoulder for the source of the voice. "Oh, that's Touya all right. I better go."  
  
The young man was observing her as she packed her things and stood up. He stood up along with her and spoke hesitantly, "If you don't mind...what's your name? Maybe we can talk some other day."  
  
Strangely, she didn't fell intimated like she usually would around strangers. Somehow, she seemed to feel as if she had known this man for years. Smiling, she replied, "Kinomoto. Kinomoto Sakura."  
  
"Li Syaoran," he returned the smile brightly.  
  
"Do that more often," she said.  
  
"What? Repeat my name more often?"   
  
She rolled her eyes, "No you idiot, I meant smiling."  
  
He chuckled, "You too."  
  
"Sure," she smiled just for the fun of it. "Next time I see Mr. Li Syaoran, you better be smiling."  
  
"Deal," he grinned and watched as she waved before turning around to run down the hill and back into the cemetery. As her figure slowly disappeared into the dimming light, he found himself repeating, "Sakura Kinomoto..."  
  
  
  


*

  
  
  
  
Three Months Later  
  
  
  
Sakura Kinomoto, nineteen and stunning, hurried down the busy streets of Tokyo City. She was still rather unaccustomed to the crowds of the streets compared to her birth town of Tomoeda. It had been a little place, where you knew your neighbours down the block and would be able to walk in peace down a sidewalk. But not in Tokyo. It would be a strange occurrence to not be walking down a small alleyway without a person or two.  
  
But moving to Tokyo was not just to observe the differences between the two places. No, it was nothing like that. In fact, her brother and herself had made the decision to sell the old house full of painful memories of their diseased parents, whom had both died from a serious car accident just short of three months ago. Moving to Tokyo was also their decision. They bought a small apartment and lived off of the remaining money they had from the sold house. But Sakura knew that the money would run out soon enough.  
  
And with her brother terribly sick, she knew Tokyo was the best place to look for a job. There would be many opportunities, she just knew it.  
  
A rolled up newspaper in hand, she went to the first place on her list; the bakery. This bakery had to be the busiest in the city, with people lining up sometimes all the way down the street. They made the best pastries and the perfect strawberry cake. Not too sweet, not too bland, and not very fattening if you shared it with a friend. Sakura sucked in a breath and opened the door to the bakery, instantly smelling the sweet aroma of sugar and bread.  
  
"Um, ano...I read an advertisement in the newspaper, about you guys needing more people to help out?" Sakura said as she stood in front of the cash register.  
  
A young girl like herself seemed to be looking at her dubiously. "Can you bake?"  
  
"Well, I could if I learned," Sakura stated hopefully.  
  
The girl was biting her lip and thumbing a ballpoint pen on the pink counter. She wore a frilly apron and a hat, her hair tied in cute pigtails though she looked about twenty. "I'll have to ask Maria, she's the boss," the girl finally declared as she ducked behind the counter to place some newly baked cookies into small baskets. Sakura leaned over the counter and looked desperately at the top of the girl's head.  
  
"Could you please ask her now? I really need this job," she found her voice slightly strained but couldn't help it nonetheless.  
  
The girl sighed and stood up again, brushing the crumbs off her hand. "Where are you from?"  
  
"Well, I just moved here from Tomoeda," Sakura answered brightly, smiling at the name of her birthplace. "It's really small, so you might not have heard of it, but it's a really pretty--"  
  
"School?" The girl cut in with a slightly bored tone in her voice.  
  
Sakura flinched slightly and looked away. "Um...what kind of cookies are these?" She pointed at the ones the girl had just placed into the baskets.  
  
The girl raised an eyebrow, "Almond. Now you didn't answer my question."  
  
The auburn haired girl sighed in dismay. "I don't go to school."  
  
"Really?" The girl seemed surprised now. "And you look so young too! Graduated already...did you skip a grade or two? You must be very smart," the girl seemed to have more interest in her, much to Sakura's annoyance.  
  
"No, that's not what I meant," she muttered. "I _dropped_ out of school." Ouch, Sakura thought to herself as she thought about glaring at the girl who's face fell instantly.  
  
"Oh, I see," the girl cleared her throat and straightened her apron before putting on an awfully fake smile. "Well, the store closes in two minutes so you better go on your way now."  
  
Sakura was about to complain and say that the bakery closed in two hours but the girl was already shuffling her out of the warm interior of the store and out onto the streets again. Sighing in defeat, Sakura hurried off and swore to never buy anything from the stupid bakery again.  
  
As she went on her way, she soon lost track of all the places she had been. And all the places asked to see her resume, and all seemed to stare at her when they realized she was a high school dropout. Kicking the streetlamp, she couldn't help but feel bitter and grumble to herself, "Not everyone's lucky enough to stay in school...some people have to go work for a living. Like me."  
  
She looked down at her newspaper warily and saw that all the job offers had been ticked off, meaning she had gone to all of them already. The streetlamps were flickering on again and Sakura decided that she would have to hurry back or Touya would get worried. She felt her heart squeeze tightly at the thought of her brother. Her only family left. And he was sick. Very sick.  
  
He had the disease their mother had, before she passed on in the accident. Sakura thought that it didn't matter for her mother that much. She had been slowly dieing from leukemia and maybe the accident was a blessing to stop the pain.  
  
But now Touya was sick. And Sakura thought it was not a blessing at all. The money needed for proper treatment was much too expensive, unless one of them worked their butt off. And Sakura decided that she would have to be the one.  
  
And yet she didn't know finding a job could be so terribly hard.  
  
Turning around the corner, she was brought out of her thoughts by the blaring music coming from a distance. Out of curiousity, she found her feet bringing her closer to the sound that seemed to be coming from a building isolated from all the rest. She cautiously approached the flashing neon lights reading "The Vibe", where the music might have deafened anyone in it. And yet Sakura noticed that there were indeed a lot of people in there.  
  
And they all seemed to be having the time of their life.  
  
Not deaf at all.  
  
Curious, she stepped into the building and saw what seemed to be a nightclub. And if she had read more carefully the sign at the front of the building, she would have known the Vibe was the hottest club in Tokyo. Made of glass and silver coated chairs and walls, the Vibe was looking new and alive. And just perfect for the wild teen. But then Sakura noticed another thing.  
  
Most of the people flailing their arms were men. Young teens and young men. And all were staring upwards at what looked to be a couple of girls raving and dancing the night away with nothing in mind, except to entertain the audience staring up at them. They were standing on a higher platform, a stage sort of setting, with flashing disco lights behind them and the bar on the far left wall where other girls dressed in tight leather skirts and cleavage showing tops were serving colourful drinks.  
  
Sakura found herself staring dumbly at the whole scene. The girls were all beautiful with the absolute perfect figure, but Sakura couldn't help but never imagine herself wearing what those girls were wearing now. She suddenly tugged at her own pink sweater and felt rather childish.  
  
"Hey girlie, what's a girl like you doing here?"  
  
She spun around and saw the face of a rather drunken looking man. She backed away and bumped into a dancing group, quickly apologizing but noticed that the man followed her. "Stop following me," she found herself saying.  
  
"But you didn't answer my question," the guy grinned a toothy grin. "What's a girl like you doing here? Come to see some stuff up there?" He pointed a finger at the girls on stage.  
  
Sakura looked at them briefly before shaking her head quickly, "I just stumbled in."  
  
"Well then, all the more to have some fun," the man said groggily as he grabbed her thin wrist. "You haven't experienced Tokyo yet if you haven't experienced the Vibe."  
  
She attempted to get her hand away from him but failed. Grumbling in frustration, she said a bit forcefully, "What if I don't want to experience Tokyo?"  
  
"Well you have to," the man said and pulled her in close. She found herself wanting to vomit at the smell of liquor coming from his breath. Or maybe his whole body was reeking with alcohol, she couldn't tell. In fact, she thought the whole place was spinning with the smell of smoke and the blare of music. She found herself closing her eyes and screaming at the top of her lungs.  
  
"SHUT UP!"  
  
Everyone fell silent. Even the music was turned off as the whole club seemed to have run dry of adrenaline. Sakura opened her eyes slowly and saw that all eyes were turned to her and that she was panting ever so slightly. The man had let go of her and was kind of staring at her in a kind of awe struck appearance.  
  
"...I'll be going now..." Sakura mumbled feebly as she hurried to the door.  
  
That was, until a hand clamped down on her shoulder and forced her to stay put. Sighing, she turned around and thought it was the man again coming to bother her, but instead a female was staring down at her from her high heeled boots. She had fiery ruby eyes and the hair of blackest night. But her eyes looked rather annoyed as she glared down at Sakura.  
  
"Who do you think you are? Crashing our party like that?" The girl demanded in an impatient voice.  
  
Sakura suddenly felt annoyed, wondering why a girl like her had the place to question her. She straightened herself, and raised her head slightly. "I didn't mean to crash your so called party, but someone wouldn't let go of me."  
  
"Oh really? But you see, the Vibe isn't a place where you deal with your personal problems, ok?" The girl snapped back.   
  
"Fine," Sakura snapped back.  
  
"Meiling-chan, calm yourself," another girl was walking up to the girl. Sakura noticed that they were both very pretty and recognized them as girls from the stage. The newcomer had beautiful ebony curly hair and sparkling amethyst eyes that seemed much kinder than the first girl.  
  
"How Tomoyo? This girl," Meiling sneered and looked at Sakura in disdain, "just crashed my night. Nobody does that here. Oh, and look at her clothes. Schoolgirl or what?"  
  
Sakura found herself glaring, all patience and kindness seeping away from her tired mind. "Ok, you know what? You're not very polite are you? And for your information, I'm not a 'schoolgirl'. Actually, I never got to graduate, which is probably very much like you! And why did I dropout? Well, because my parents decided to die and I was left with my brother as my only family!" She nearly screamed in the ruby-eyed girl's face. She caught her breath and instantly didn't know why she had just spilled most of her deepest sorrows. She suddenly fell silent and looked away.  
  
"At least you've got a brother," Meiling finally said. Sakura looked at her again and noticed the fire had faded from the girl's eyes.   
  
"Yes, you're lucky to have a brother," the girl named Tomoyo chimed. "I'm alone in this world as much as Meiling is."  
  
"But we've got each other," Meiling said fondly as she gave Tomoyo a smile. "And the rest of the girls."  
  
Sakura thought the girl looked much prettier with a smile on her face then a scowl, but she kept it to herself. Noticing the heavy atmosphere around her, she coughed slightly and Meiling turned back to look at her again.  
  
"You know what country girl, why are you here anyways?" A hint of interest was evident in the girl's voice as she gave Tomoyo a look before observing Sakura again.  
  
Sakura blinked and looked thoughtful before confessing, "I've been looking for a job and I just stumbled in here."  
  
Meiling's eyes seemed to fill with more interest by the second as she turned to look at Tomoyo again. Sakura didn't like how the two girls seemed to be communicating by reading each other's eyes, but Tomoyo had quickly stepped up and was pacing around her like a shark circling prey.  
  
"Hoe? What are you doing?" Sakura questioned.  
  
Tomoyo stopped pacing, the sound of her heels falling silent before she clapped her hands together in delight. "You have a beautiful figure, um miss--"  
  
"Sakura," she offered.  
  
"Yeah, Sakura," Tomoyo continued. "But you're hiding it under that baggy sweater. And look at your legs. They're nice and long."  
  
"She's just got an attitude problem," Meiling added. "Or else she would be perfect."  
  
Sakura frowned deeply, "Hey, who's got the attitude problem here?"  
  
Meiling looked innocent as Tomoyo giggled slightly before saying, "Well, what Meiling means is that you're perfect!"  
  
"Perfect?" Sakura blinked in confusion as Meiling signaled the music to be turned on again. The crowd of people seemed to perk with life again as everything went back to normal, except for the fact that Meiling and Tomoyo were looking at her carefully.  
  
"One of our girls, Naoko, just quit last week," Meiling explained casually as she looked at her manicured nails. "We've been one short lately so we can't do our usual routine."  
  
"And so, we think you'd fit Naoko's spot perfectly, that is if you're flexible enough," Tomoyo added but beamed. "Other than that, we think we've found the perfect candidate! And that's you Sakura!"  
  
Sakura felt her head spin slightly as she took in the information. Her? One of the girls swinging her hips on stage and singing along with the blaring music? Her? In the tight leather mini skirts and tubes? She wasn't even sure if she could walk in high heels. But then, every bad aspect seemed to disappear as she thought about the main thing this offer brought her.  
  
A job.  
  
"Do I get paid?" She found herself asking quickly.  
  
Meiling clucked her tongue on the roof of her mouth before answering, "Twenty dollars a day from 8:00 PM to 12:00 midnight. You think you can handle it?"  
  
Sakura bit her lip, hard. She unexpectedly realized that this seemed to be one of the hardest decisions she had ever made. Midnight...her brother would be worried. All in all, her brother wouldn't allow her to work in a place like this. But the naughty side of Sakura kicked in and she knew he would never know, he was always in bed now. And there was money to go with it.  
  
And with money she would have a chance to save her brother and get him the proper medicine and treatment.  
  
With money she would be able to pay the rent and put food on the table.  
  
Her emerald eyes suddenly filled with determination as she nodded defiantly. "I'll do it."  
  
"Then welcome to the Vibe."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: So how is it so far? I would love to hear your thoughts, so please R+R =) Syaoran in the next chapter...and all that stoof ^^ Stay tooned and thank you for reading! =)  
  
  



	2. Dazzle

  
  
  
  
AN: Oh my goodness, I have horrible memory x_x In the first Ch, I forgot to mention it was an AU fic so I had to reupload Ch.1 saying that it was. And then I forgot to mention that I got inspired from the movie Coyote Ugly although I watched it two yrs ago...yes, I think I had a dream and then I remembered it and I was like 'Oh I have a fic idea...tumdedum.' So, it's **not** going to follow the movie's storyline because I can't remember the movie's storyline except for the setting (which is the clubish thing). I can't even remember the darn girl's name except that she had stagephobia (however you call this) and wanted to sing (?) -_- But no, this story isn't going to be about Sakura having stagephobia because she's fine with that ^^;; Just the setting is similar and the fact that they work at a club. I mean I can't get them to do anything else but dance and rave cause that's what a club is for -_- Lolz, anyways I can't remember who but someone said why doesn't Sakura work at McDonalds or smth. Ehehehehe well you see, I was half asleep and when I re-read the payment I was like..."Hm, that's even under minimun wage" *wacks forehead* Aiya, thanks so much for pointing that out but let's just say McDonalds _doesn't exist_ LOL (Japan's McDonalds are cool...they serve coke in milk cartons...yes...) And uh yes, I'll do something about her payment ok? It won't remain 20 -_- Ehehe, thanks for all the feedback and comments =) They helped me ALOT ^^ (aiya such a long AN...)  
  
P.S: Meiling is **NOT** related to Syaoran in this story -_-;; I can't believe I actually forgot to mention that ^^;;  
  
Disclaimer: CCS and all characters belong to CLAMP.  
  
  
  
  
  


** Exposed**  
Chapter 2  
_ Dazzle  
_

  
  
_   
  
  
  
_ "Sir, there's a call for you on line two."  
  
Li Syaoran, twenty and well built, let out a groan and looked up to see the composed face of Ms. Owl. That wasn't exactly the secretary's name, but Syaoran sure thought she looked like an owl, and besides her real name was much too hard for him to pronounce. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me sir?"  
  
"But sir, you're going to be boss soon," Ms. Owl persisted with a flutter of her fake eyelashes.  
  
Syaoran frowned and sighed, "I'm not sure if I am."  
  
"But you're the only heir," Ms. Owl reminded patiently with her very red lips. Syaoran wondered if lips could be fake too. "And besides, your mother is very confident that you'll take over your father's company."  
  
Father's company. That hit Syaoran like a ton of bricks. The only reason he was even considering to take over the Li Company was because of his father. The company was probably the only thing his father had left behind before his death. The only thing Syaoran had left of his father. A big, stupid company. He let out another groan and leaned back in the plush leather chair. "Please don't say that."  
  
"Say what?" Ms. Owl blinked through her circular glasses. Syaoran suppressed a laugh. He could not help but find her glasses amusing.  
  
"Nevermind, I guess I better answer that call," Syaoran heaved a sigh and picked up the phone. "Hello, Li Syaoran speaking?"  
  
"_Mr._ Li Syaoran," a stern voice corrected.  
  
Syaoran's shoulders sagged at the voice on the other line. "Ok, fine. Mr. Li Syaoran speaking. What is it mother?"  
  
"You have to remember to keep the formalities! You're going to be a big businessman, just like your father," Yelan Li said proudly through the phone, the air of authority never leaving the woman's voice.  
  
His brow furrowed before he replied, "Mother, I want a few more years to think about it. I'm not even done university yet, you can't just take me out of school to run the business."  
  
"But you're the only rightful heir! We mustn't wait any longer and let that uncle of yours continue running it. He's getting old, and he may come to think that the company is his if we don't kick him off soon."  
  
"Uncle knows it's not his, he's fine with me taking over when_ I'm ready_," Syaoran emphasized.  
  
"But you are! We've been training you for a month!" Yelan persisted with a slight edge to her voice. "Xiao Lang, you of all people should know how much the company mattered to your father! He would be awfully disappointed if you just turned your back to it!"  
  
Syaoran growled under his breath. His mother was at it again. She knew his weak spot and that was his oh so great father who was six feet under the ground. He took in a breath and steadily spoke, "You know I don't like it when you bring up father in this. This isn't about him."  
  
"And yet it is, and you know it Xiao Lang," her voice said with the same steadiness as her son. "How long are you going to wait? Until your eighty? By that time the Li Company would have been bankrupt!"  
  
"You're exaggerating," Syaoran muttered. "Besides, I just need a few years."  
  
"How long are a few years, Syaoran?" His mother's voice was softer now, desperate maybe. But Yelan Li was never desperate. Syaoran didn't like that tone on his mother.  
  
"Not long," he answered. "But I'm only twenty. I don't want to be tied down by the company already. I know how much it means to you mother, and it means a lot to me too believe it or not. But I'm just not ready."  
  
There was a pause before Yelan sighed through the phone, "Very well Xiao Lang. I can't seem to sway you, but you have to keep in mind that if you don't get ready soon, your uncle's son is ready to take that position from you."  
  
"Yeah, just let him try," Syaoran mumbled and smiled slightly. He had finally persuaded his mother. "And I was hoping you wouldn't mind that I take a break."  
  
"A break?"  
  
"Yes...to Japan perhaps, maybe I'd visit Eriol," Syaoran pondered out loud. "Remember him?"  
  
"Ah yes, Eriol," Yelan said with familiarity. "Well...Japan...I guess that would be fine, but come back soon."  
  
"Thank you mother," Syaoran didn't know why he felt so stiff, but having his mother agree to his requests seemed too surreal to be true. "Yes, ok, I'll call," he nodded as his mother said a few more things and finally hung up.  
  
Syaoran, suddenly feeling content and relieved, let a grin spread across his young face etched with stress. He was finally going to be free for a while. Free from the pressure Hong Kong had on him. Free from all his responsibilities for just a good while. And he'd get to visit his childhood best friend too. Life couldn't get any better for Li Syaoran at the moment.  
  
  
  


*

  
  
  
  
Sakura stifled a yawn as she turned the knob to her apartment. Her mind was tired from the day's adventure. Meiling and Tomoyo's words still swam in her head like a swarm of bees. They had told her to come earlier tomorrow to show them her _stuff_. Sakura wondered what they meant, but knew she would have to step out of her comfort zone.  
  
Rubbing her eyes slightly, she entered the kitchen and was shocked to see her brother sitting at the small kitchen table with a blanket around his shoulders. His head was nodding slightly as he was obviously trying to stay awake. Rushing to his side, Sakura steadied her brother and worriedly burst out in surprise, "What are you doing awake?! You should be in bed..."  
  
Touya Kinomoto looked up at his baby sister and simply asked, "Where have you been?"  
  
Sakura looked away quickly as she slung her bag from her shoulder to the kitchen counter. "...I've got a job now," she said in a rather tight voice. "You know, the 24/7 grocery in downtown. I've got a night shift." She dared herself to look over at her brother who merely nodded, his eyes drooping slightly.  
  
Much to her surprise, Touya believed her and only asked, "Why a night shift?"  
  
She racked her mind for a plausible explanation and finally spluttered, "No one wants the night shift! I mean, I don't know what's wrong with the people in this city," she laughed lightly. "They seem to have a nightlife and don't want to spend the evening cooped up staring at lettuce and magazines. Besides, we need the money and I'll have something to do at night."  
  
Her brother was silent for a while, making Sakura frantic that perhaps her brother had saw through her lies like usual. Yet when Touya slammed his fist on the table, Sakura lost all sense of speech. Finally overcoming the shock her brother had caused, she quickly grabbed his hand and checked for any cuts. "Touya! You know you can't go around hurting yourself! What if you got a cut?! You'd bleed to death you baka!" Sakura held back the tears in her eyes.  
  
Touya's shoulders shook slightly as he choked out, "Dammit, I'm sorry. I'm the big brother and you're the one out there supporting us..." he sucked in a shaky breath. "Mom and dad must hate me..." his voice trailed off and completely died out as silence consumed the two. He finally buried his face in his hands as Sakura felt a tear drop from her eyes.  
  
Sakura placed her arms around her brother and spoke softly, "Remember when we were kids? You would always make fun of me, but I knew that if I needed saving or help, I could count on my onii-chan. So just think of this as me repaying all those years of protection," she smiled a meek smile. "It's time for me to be a good sister."  
  
"Sakura..."  
  
"We're a family, we share our loads," Sakura said and shushed her brother as he opened his mouth to speak. "You're going to bed and you're going to get well. That's your job, got it?"  
  
After a moment of silence, he slowly stood up and replied, "Got it...kaijuu (monster)."  
  
Sakura smiled, a genuine smile as she helped her dear brother into his room and into bed. Shutting the door quietly behind her, she leaned with exhaustion on the shut door, mumbling under her breath, "Mou...I'm not a kaijuu..."  
  
  
  


*

  
  
  
Morning dawned bright and warm as Sakura jumped out of bed instantly, not wanting to be late for the first day at work. Opening her closet door, she rummaged through her clothes with pursed lips. "Oooh they're not going to like anything I wear," she sighed in dismay as she pulled out a sleeveless green turtleneck and a pair of white pants.   
Changing quickly, she brushed out her auburn hair and left it down.  
  
Tiptoeing silently into the small kitchen, she checked the fridge to make sure her brother would be able to have lunch without a problem. Satisfied, she left a quick note on the counter saying that she was going to be out and to not wait up. Grabbing her bag that she had left on the counter, she slipped into her worn runners and headed out of the apartment.  
  
Kicking the pebbles off the sidewalk as she went, she couldn't help but wonder if they would stare at her and kick her out again. Maybe they had been tired and made a bad decision...Sakura shook her thoughts away as she looked up to see the Vibe just a few feet away. It looked very different in the daylight. Much more...calm. There was no ear deafening music, nor was there the smell of smoke in the air.  
  
Taking a breath, she pushed open the doors and entered the club. She saw Tomoyo mopping the floor and Meiling cleaning the bar counter. Another girl she didn't know was practicing some routine on the stage, her dark red hair bouncing around her. Hearing someone enter, all three looked up at Sakura, causing her to feel small again.  
  
Tomoyo was the first one to react and rushed over to Sakura, dropping her mop to the floor. "Oh Sakura! You came! Early too! Oh, you didn't get to meet Rika yesterday did you?" She waved a hand over towards the girl on stage. "Hey Rika-chan, come on down here!"  
  
The girl obliged and hopped down, hurrying over to them with a smile on her lips. "So you're the Sakura they've been telling me about," Rika commented as she tilted her head slightly. "You have pretty eyes."  
  
Sakura flushed slightly and thanked her as Meiling walked up to them with a rag in her hand. "Hmm, what is that?" The ruby-eyed girl pointed a finger at her pants.  
  
"Um, white pants," Sakura answered.  
  
Meiling shook her head immediately, "No, no...don't you think so too Tomoyo?"  
  
Tomoyo looked thoughtful before nodding, "I agree."  
  
Sakura looked at the two. They were doing that eye-communicating thing again, much to Sakura's annoyance. "Ok, what is it now?"  
  
"I think they're talking about your clothes," Rika suggested and placed a finger under her chin. "Hmm, I agree with them." The three girls looked at each other with a nod.  
  
Sakura felt awfully out of place until all three of them spoke up, "New wardrobe."  
  
"What?" Sakura blinked in confusion.  
  
"You need a new wardrobe," Meiling stated simply and nodded over towards Tomoyo. "Tomoyo makes excellent clothing. Over 50% of my clothes are Tomoyo-made," she smiled slightly. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind making you some."  
  
Tomoyo nodded earnestly. "I don't mind at all!"  
  
"She can get a bit...strange though," Rika warned.  
  
Tomoyo giggled, "Ohohohoho, it's not called strange Rika, it's called style."  
  
Sakura looked worriedly at Tomoyo, but then she wondered why Tomoyo stayed at the club if she could make such excellent clothing. "But why aren't you a fashion designer or something?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.  
  
Tomoyo's sparkling eyes dimmed slightly as she shrugged, looking at the opposite wall to them as she spoke, "I...I can't. Well, it's not that I can't, I just don't want to," she explained hesitantly as she sighed. "I can't leave my girls," she smiled at Rika and Meiling. "When I was in trouble, Meiling-chan here gave me a place to stay and work. I owe her."  
  
"Aw Tomoyo-chan," Meiling flushed.  
  
Rika smiled warmly at the two other girls and turned to look at Sakura. "Meiling-chan owns this place. It use to be a place selling flowers."  
  
"What happened to the flower shop then?" Sakura asked curiously.  
  
Meiling answered stiffly, "When my mother died, the flower shop died with her."  
  
Sakura let the words sink in and instantly felt sorry for asking. Opening her lips to apologize, Meiling simply shushed her and said, "It's ok. We're all open here, we say whatever we want," Meiling said lightly. "I changed it to the Vibe soon afterwards, and Tomoyo just kind of stumbled in."  
  
"Just like you," Tomoyo indicated towards Sakura. "And I was instantly welcomed."  
  
"Tomoyo just blew me away with her voice," Meiling confessed. "And Rika...well--"  
  
"Like you said, we're open here, so I'll just tell you straight off," Rika said with a smirk. "I ran away."  
  
"You ran away?" Sakura echoed with raised eyebrows.  
  
Rika nodded, "Don't gross out but I had a relationship with my homeroom teacher and my parents found out. Guess they didn't like it very much, so they wouldn't stop yelling. I had to leave."  
  
Sakura processed the words, trying to keep her face blank as she nodded. "Oh, I see."  
  
Silence fell on them before Meiling clapped her hands together. "Well then, you'll get to meet Chiharu and Nakuru later. They make the best drinks," Meiling said proudly. "Ok, so Sakura, get up there."  
  
The emerald eyed girl stared at Meiling blankly. "Get up where?"  
  
"The stage," Meiling explained. "And show us what you've got."  
  
She said it as if it were the easiest thing on earth, Sakura thought nervously. Scuttling onto the stage, she stood there, fidgeting with the zipper of her turtleneck for a few seconds while the three other girls stood below with expectant looks on their faces. Swallowing, she questioned in desperation, "What am I suppose to do?"  
  
Tomoyo offered a reassuring smile before answering, "Just sing."  
  
"Sing what?" Sakura asked in an awfully squeaky voice.  
  
"Oh...let me get the music going," Rika suggested as she went over to the stereo and pressed a random CD. A few seconds went by before a song began to play and Sakura could only swallow as she listened to the song all the way through.  
  
"Ok, got the tune?" Meiling asked right after the last beat faded.  
  
Sakura stared at her wide-eyed. "Just like that?"  
  
Meiling snapped her fingers. "Yep, just like that."  
  
"How am I suppose to just remember it all?!" Sakura cried out frantically.  
  
Rika glanced at Meiling who shrugged and nodded. Sakura stared and turned to look at Tomoyo who looked at her thoughtfully before running up to the stage. "Here, since it's Sakura's first time, I'll sing with her."  
  
"You sure?" Meiling asked Tomoyo dubiously.  
  
Tomoyo smiled cheerfully, "Of course I'm sure. Come on Sakura-chan, we can do it!"  
  
Tomoyo's enthusiasm washed away a bit of Sakura's butterflies as the auburn haired girl nodded. "Ok, Rika, music," Sakura said with a finality in her tone that set a small smile on Meiling's lips.  
  
The music began with a definite beat and Tomoyo started moving to the music. Sakura followed suit, though she felt a bit strange and awkward.   
  
_ So what am I not supposed to have an opinion  
Should I be quiet just because I'm a woman  
Call me a bitch cos I speak what's on my mind  
Guess it's easier for you to swallow if I sat and smiled  
  
_ Sakura glanced at Tomoyo occasionally, but the other girl seemed to be lost in her own world as her hair flew all around her like a lion's mane. Tomoyo slammed the heels of her boots on the wooden stage as she sang with such force that Sakura thought she might have just been standing there not speaking at all for her voice was so tiny compared to Tomoyo's.  
  
_ When a female fires back__  
Suddenly the target don't know how to act  
So he does what any little boy will do  
Making up a few false rumors or two_  
  
After a few more words, Sakura smiled to herself. _What the heck, I'll just lose myself, why be nervous with these girls when there's going to be tons of people tonight?_ She thought and nodded to herself.  
  
_ This is for my girls all around the world__  
Who've come across a man who don't respect your worth  
Thinking all women should be seen, not heard  
So what do we do girls?  
Shout louder!  
Letting them know we're gonna stand our ground  
Lift your hands high and wave them proud  
Take a deep breath and say it loud  
__ Never can, never will, can't hold us down_  
  
Sakura swung her hips out wildly as she sank lower and lower onto the ground with her hands through her hair. With every beat, and with every word, she moved her body sharply and confidently.  
  
_ Nobody can hold us down__  
Nobody can hold us down  
Nobody can hold us down  
Never can, never will  
_  
She waved a finger at her imaginary audience while shaking her head with wide innocent eyes. Whipping her head to her left, her hair swung out with her as the last beat died out with the falling of her hair. Panting breathlessly, she shook her auburn hair out of her face as she whiped the sweat from her brow. It soon dawned on her that she had been performing for Meiling and the rest, and she quickly turned to look at them and instantly asked, "Was that ok?"  
  
Tomoyo was staring at her with approval as she gave the emerald eye girl a thumbs up. Rika simply clapped and Meiling smiled. "You were a bit stiff at the beginning," Sakura face fell slightly at Meiling's words but the other girl continued, "but I know that I never make the wrong choices in picking my girls."  
  
Sakura felt her lips tugging into a smile. "Thanks."  
  
"I say we run through it a few more times," Tomoyo suggested as she threw a towel to her. "You know the part where it says something about swinging our arms? Emphasize that and swing your heart out."  
  
Sakura nodded as she dried herself. "Ugh it gets hot in here."  
  
Rika whistled, "Oh believe me girlie, it gets hotter."  
  
Sakura smiled meekly as Tomoyo threw her a bundle. It seemed to be clothing. "Since it'll take me a couple days to make your clothes, and plus I have to measure you, you can borrow my clothes for tonight. I think you can fit into them."  
  
"Arigatou," Sakura thanked gratefully as she looked down at the pile in her arms.   
  
Meiling yawned slightly before she walked over towards the stereo and hit the play button once more. "Ok, no more chit chat, we've got to practice and impress our crowd tonight. Oh and Sakura, since you're new, you get a kind of...welcome."  
  
"Hoe?" Sakura blinked in confusion.  
  
Rika's eyes twinkled along with Tomoyo's. "You don't think twenty dollars is all you get do you? That's just the part Meiling pays, but look at all the people that come," Tomoyo hinted.  
  
Rika continued for her, "When there's people, there's money."  
  
Sakura simply looked at the three girls who were both nodding at her knowingly. Still muddled with confusion, Sakura could only look at them skeptically and wondered what tonight would be like.  
  
"Aw don't look so worried Sakura."  
  
"Yeah Sakura, you'll dazzle them all."  
  
And she sure hoped so.  
  
  


*  
  


  
He hoped he had remembered to pack his toothbrush. Though he was the great, organized, sophisticated son of Yelan Li, he had a habit of always forgetting to pack his toiletries. Unbuckling his seat belt as the plane slowed to a stop, a woman's voice was heard from the speakers telling the passengers that they hoped to serve them again soon.  
  
Syaoran rolled his eyes as he opened the overhead compartment and pulled out his black leather bag. Coughing slightly, he followed the queue off the plane and into the airport. Looking over the many heads, he found it rather hard to spot his navy haired best friend. Grumbling in annoyance, he was about to plop down on a seat when he heard a familiar shout come from his right.  
  
"Mr. Li Syaoran!"  
  
Smirking, his amber eyes amused, he hit his long time friend on the shoulder as he approached. "Hiiragizawa," he acknowledged with a nod.  
  
"How are you sir?"  
  
"Fine," Syaoran replied and shook his head. "Oh shut up."  
  
The navy haired man cracked a smile. "Fine, fine Li."  
  
"So how have you been?" Syaoran asked as they headed off towards the automatic glass doors. "Not missing Hong Kong anymore?"  
  
"Japan's good," Eriol responded with a nod as they walked towards his parked silver Mercedes. "Simple life is the life I like. How about you Syaoran? Your mother still being a pain in the ass?"  
  
Syaoran could only nod while clearing his throat. "It's almost as if she wants to control my life still. I'm an adult."  
  
"But still a little boy in the mother's eye," Eriol smirked as the car's engine hummed to life. "Ah, it sucks to be you."  
  
"You're awfully helpful," Syaoran's voice dripped with sarcasm. "So, where are we going? Your apartment? It better not be like last time. It was much too clean to seem...manly," he finished off strangely.  
  
Eriol chuckled, "Sure thing, I tossed a few dirty undershirts around before you came to please you. But no, I don't think we're going to head back to the apartment right away. That's no way to welcome back a best friend, is it?"  
  
Syaoran raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "What's on your mind Hiiragizawa?"  
  
His dark eyes twinkled mischievously before he replied with a turn of the wheel, "Well, let's bring you to Tokyo's hottest night club. I bet you never relax back at your so called home."  
  
"It's not that bad," Syaoran muttered.  
  
Eriol didn't look convinced as they drove down the street. "Oh, once you see this place you won't want to leave. There's this beautiful young lady with dazzling amethyst eyes and silky locks--"  
  
"Okay, okay, I get the part about being obsessed."  
  
Eriol snickered, "Glad you get the point. I'm sure you'll find someone to obsess over too."  
  
Syaoran shrugged carelessly, turning to look at the passing scenery. "Night club huh? I don't think that's my thing, and I sure didn't think it was your thing either."  
  
"Stop whining, no one ever has a bad time at the Vibe."  
  
"If you say so," Syaoran answered unconvincingly, never noticing the confident glint in his friend's eyes as they pulled over just as the sun slipped away and night began in Tokyo, Japan.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: S+S shall meet in Ch.3 =) Ooh and I didn't bother to type out all the lyrics to Christina A.'s song _Can't Hold us Down_ because I didn't want to take up too much space just with lyrics -_- Hope you enjoyed this chapter though things aren't on a roll yet since it's only Ch.2...mehehe, stay tooned and R+R, thankies =)  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. What's her name?

  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: CCS and all characters belong to CLAMP.  
  
  
  
  


**Exposed**  
Chapter 3  
_What's her name?_

_  
  
  
  
  
  
  
_"No," Sakura repeated for the tenth time as she stared at herself from the full-length mirror propped in front of her. Turning around a bit, she bit her lip and shook her head once more. "I look like some cheap...cheap--"  
  
"Whore?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah sure whatever you call that," Sakura mumbled absentmindedly as she frowned at the clothing Tomoyo had given her. "I mean _look_," she tugged at the hem of her short leather skirt. "This is a _belt_, not a skirt."  
  
Tomoyo giggled wholeheartedly. "Oh stop exaggerating Sakura-chan. It's a mini skirt, you know, extremely short skirts?"  
  
"Demo (but)--"  
  
"Oh stop complaining," came Meiling's voice as she entered the room. "Fifteen more minutes for you gals to pamper up. And you don't look bad," she added as an afterthought. "Much better then when you stepped through those doors this afternoon."  
  
Sakura frowned, turning back to the mirror and shivered. "My shoulders are cold."  
  
"It's a tube top, what do you expect?" Meiling laughed as she fixed her high ponytail into a messy bun with a pin. "Did you all grab something to eat?"  
  
"Mm hmm," Tomoyo answered and smiled. "I have to agree with Meiling, the cherry pink really suits you Sakura."  
  
"But my shoulders," Sakura muttered as she glanced at her bare skin. "Look, I'm getting goose bumps."  
  
"More the better," Meiling said with a roll of her eyes. "Oh, and Tomoyo maybe you could throw in a belt for Sakura. It seems rather empty around the waist."  
  
"No problem," Tomoyo grinned as she hopped off her stool and into the closet. "So Sakura, getting excited for your big night?"  
  
Sakura sighed, running her hand through her extremely straight hair. Tomoyo had permed it straight for her right after they had some quick dinner. Ignoring the butterflies flying around in her stomach, she answered as casually as she could, "I'm ok. No big deal right?"  
  
Tomoyo reappeared again with a thin chain in her hand, wrapping it around Sakura's waist as she responded, "Well, it's your very first night at the Vibe. It's tradition to have an orientation type of thing."  
  
"Orientation?" Sakura felt her butterflies multiply as she took a step forward, wobbling slightly on her matching pink heels. "Ok, I can barely walk in these."  
  
"You'll get use to it," Meiling said and winked at Tomoyo. "Don't tell her too much about the tradition. It wouldn't be half as fun."  
  
"Hai, hai," Tomoyo's eyes danced as she combed out her own hair. "Is Rika-chan all set?"  
  
Meiling nodded, "She's just getting the music ready. Well, hurry up because I'm going out and opening the doors."  
  
"Hai," Tomoyo turned back to check her reflection one last time before grabbing Sakura's hand. "Come on, we don't want to keep them waiting."  
  
Sakura paled slightly as they left the change rooms, the blaring music vibrating through the building, the lights flashing. She thought her head was spinning, and before she knew what was happening, the lights were on her and she could no longer feel Tomoyo beside her as the music took her away.  
  
  
  


*

  
  
  
"Damn I wonder if she's going to be there tonight..."  
  
Syaoran eyed his friend warily. "What are you mumbling to yourself about?"  
  
Eriol looked up quickly and shook his head, composing himself. "Right, I was talking to myself..."  
  
"Move it you two," a gruff voice said from behind them as a burly looking man pushed by and into the club. Syaoran frowned, glaring at the back of his head before turning to Eriol.   
  
"Why are we standing outside the door?"  
  
"I'm waiting for you to open it," Eriol answered.  
  
Syaoran rolled his eyes, pushing open the glass doors and was met with the overwhelming loudness of music, momentarily blinded by the flashing neon lights. Shaking his head, he turned to glare at the navy haired man. "Why did I even let you bring me here? I swear if I get a headache--"  
  
"Aw, poor little Syaoran can't get a headache? How will I ever be able to report back to his mother what a terrible job I've been doing in taking care of her son!" Eriol faked a dramatic faint, causing Syaoran's glare to harden.  
  
"I can take care of myself," was his last remark before he pushed through the crowd, looking for somewhere to sit quietly and be away from his annoying so-called best friend.  
  
"Hey I was only joking!" Syaoran heard Eriol's shout before it was drowned out by the music. Mumbling, he sat down at an empty booth in the corner, not wanting to join the insanity on the dance floor. _God, why do people even come to these places?_ He thought with frustration as the smell of smoke met his nostrils. Coughing slightly, he fiddled in his seat, suddenly feeling very alien with his surroundings.  
  
"Geez, you don't have to run away," Eriol's figure emerged from the dancing crowd as he plopped himself down next to Syaoran.   
  
Closing his eyes, Syaoran simply ignored the young man beside him.  
  
Eriol, giving a side glance to his grumpy friend, attempted to lighten the mood by punching him on the shoulder. "Look! That's the girl I've been talking about," excitement was evident in the usual calm voice of Eriol Hiiragizawa. Amusement tugged at Syaoran's lips as he cracked an eye open.  
  
"Looks like little Eriol here is excited."  
  
Eriol didn't seem to mind though as he stared ahead. Following his gaze without a thought in mind, Syaoran saw a girl with long wavy ebony hair dancing on the stage. He couldn't help but notice his best friend didn't have bad taste at all. Whistling, he turned back to Eriol and smirked, "I never knew you had it in you! I always thought you'd marry some pianist, or some girl who sits in the library all day."  
  
"That's great Li," Eriol mumbled. "And I think you're just going to stay single."  
  
Syaoran growled and turned his eyes back to the stage, adverting his gaze from the long haired girl to the girl dancing next to her. The girl was slightly shorter, with shoulder length auburn hair in straight sheets. Her eyes were closed at the moment, and Syaoran couldn't help but feel an incredible yearn to see her eyes. Mesmerized for no reason at all, he simply sat and watched.  
  
He could no longer hear the music, just the fluid movement of her arms and her hips. He could no longer be blinded by the flashing lights because she outshone them all. And then there was this tug in his mind. Some air of familiarity surrounding that girl upstage. Something tugging at him, and didn't seem to want to stop anytime soon. He didn't even hear the last beat of the music, his heart skipping a beat when the girl's eyes finally shot open.  
  
Emerald green eyes.  
  
"Earth to Li Syaoran..."  
  
Snapping back to reality, he turned his head quickly to Eriol and blurted out the first words that came to his mind, "I'm ok!"  
  
Eriol, looking at him strangely, nodded with stifled laughter. "That's good to hear."  
  
Blushing for no reason whatsoever, Syaoran turned away to stare at the opposite wall. Eriol continued to chuckle before saying, "I agree, that girl beside Miss Daidouji is cute. But I'm more attracted to long hair I guess."  
  
Turning back to face Eriol, Syaoran frowned. "So if she cuts her hair one day, you won't like her anymore?"  
  
"Well, no," Eriol laughed. "Oh look, here comes Meiling and Rika."  
  
"How do you know all their names?" Syaoran questioned as he glanced at the two dark haired girls that had joined the two formerly dancing.   
  
"Let's just say this isn't my first time here," Eriol replied and cheered along with the crowd. "Oh right, that girl you were staring goggled-eyed at is new. I wonder what Meiling's going to throw at her."  
  
"What?" Syaoran's mind was muddled with confusion.  
  
"I don't want to miss this, come on," Eriol leapt out of his seat and onto the dance floor where the rest were eagerly watching the four girls on stage.  
  
Still confused, Syaoran could only follow his overly excited friend to the crowd. The girl with raven black hair was attempting to quiet the audience, an air of authority around her. Syaoran decided that she could be extremely mean if she wanted to be.  
  
"Ok, quiet now!" Meiling shouted above the many heads. "So, all you daily nighters at the Vibe have probably noticed the new girl!" Meiling hollered with a wave to the girl with auburn hair. The crowd cheered and shouted inaudible words. "And we all know we want her to feel welcomed!"  
  
With that, pandemonium broke out even more and Syaoran could not help but flinch. He glanced at Eriol who seemed perfectly fine with all the noise. Rolling his eyes, he mumbled to his friend, "You know, I actually thought you were some orderly guy who sits at home using fancy china."  
  
"No, that's more like you," Eriol whispered back and adverted his attention back to the girls.  
  
"So, all you lucky men have a chance to get her!" Meiling exclaimed brightly and gave Sakura the thumbs up. Syaoran thought the girl didn't look so happy. In fact, she looked just as confused as he was. "All you have to do," the ruby-eyed girl paused for effect, a sly smile on her lush lips, "is guess her name correctly! And she's all yours for the night!"  
  
Once again the crowd went wild, and Syaoran couldn't help but notice the girl's colour drain from her face. She turned to the amethyst-eyed girl and seemed to be whispering something frantically, but the girl simply patted her shoulders.  
  
And once again, Syaoran couldn't help but felt the tug in his mind. He looked at those emerald eyes, wide and innocent? He shook his head. What type of girl would be innocent and work at a place like this? But still, he could not shake the strange feeling of déjà vu away.  
  
"Kelly!" someone in the crowd shouted.  
  
"Andrea!"  
  
"Celine!"  
  
Syaoran glared at his friend. "What are you doing?!"  
  
"Guessing names," Eriol replied with a grin.  
  
"But I thought you liked that other girl," Syaoran mumbled.  
  
"Well if I guess right, I'm giving the new girl to you!"  
  
Syaoran stared at his friend in disbelief before Eriol cracked up and shook his head. "God you're no fun old man."  
  
"Whatever," he muttered before turning to look at the girl who seemed to be holding her breath. She didn't look too thrilled about the whole name-guessing thing, Syaoran noted. Sighing, he fell in deep thought as the men all around shouted random names.  
  
"I swear her name's Jack!"  
  
"Fiona!!"  
  
"Come on, is that all you've got?!" Meiling continued to holler.  
  
Closing his eyes so he could think more clearly, he thought about all the girl names he knew. Most of them had been guessed already. He stopped thinking abruptly and wondered to himself why he was even trying to guess. Shaking his head, he laughed inwardly at the thought if his mother found out what he was doing. _Ah, whatever, guess it's time to rebel, _ he thought with a smirk.  
  
The blackness in his mind was comforting, but no names surfaced. He wondered if someone had already guessed correctly but the shouting around him continued. He guessed not.  
  
_ "Maybe you should shade more colours in the sky."  
  
"Thanks."_  
  
He frowned, his brow furrowing. Now he was not concentrating at all...with random memories seeping into his concentration. Grumbling, he was about to give up when a soft voice echoed in the depths of his mind.  
  
_ "Next time I see Mr. Li Syaoran, you better be smiling."  
  
_ His frown deepening, he couldn't help but recognize that voice. He recognized those words. He recognized that memory. A girl. He remembered meeting someone on a hill, when he had visited Japan briefly. A girl...a very kind looking girl. A very talented girl who dared to dream....  
  
A girl with emerald green eyes that made the grass jealous and beautiful auburn hair that even the sun could not compare.  
  
_ "If you don't mind...what's your name? Maybe we can talk some other day."  
  
_ And then it clicked in his mind.  
  
"Sakura," he mouthed quietly to himself. Then with a sudden wave of confidence, he found himself shouting above every voice in the room. "Sakura! Sakura Kinomoto!"  
  
And then silence fell.  
  
  


*

  
  
  
Sakura winced.  
  
Or maybe she flinched.  
  
She wasn't so sure but she had heard her name. It was louder than any other shout from any other man in the crowd. Maybe it was because it _was_ her name, and she knew what awaited her. Groaning with misery, she glanced at Meiling who was looking back at her with a wide grin. Growling, she tried glaring at the ruby-eyed girl for getting her into such a situation, but her glared faltered as Meiling's shouts echoed out over the crowd.  
  
"Oh, oh! You're right! Her name is Sakura! And what the hell? How'd you know her last name?" Meiling shouted to no one in particular. "But that doesn't matter! Get yourself up here and claim your prize," Sakura was sure the little dinner she had was ready to come out of her mouth. Fidgeting with her thumbs, she glanced at Tomoyo who gave her a comforting pat.  
  
"Daijoubu Sakura-chan! It'll be fine, I mean, we've all done this before," Tomoyo said lightly.  
  
Sakura stared at her. "Done what?!" She squeaked.  
  
"Oh you know..." Tomoyo's voice trailed off as someone stepped on stage. Grumbling with frustration, Sakura quickly turned around to find out who the _lucky_ guy was and instantly met a familiar wash of déjà vu.  
  
Intense amber eyes stared down at her filled with unanswered questions, locks of messy brown hair falling in front of the handsome stranger's face. Sakura couldn't place a finger on it...but the so-called stranger didn't seemed like one at all. In fact, she could have sworn she had seen this person before...and didn't Meiling say he even shouted out her last name?  
  
"Come on," came the young man's gruff voice as he literally dragged her off the stage with catcalls and cheering following behind them.  
  
Still dazed and slightly nervous, Sakura let herself be dragged out of the club and into the chilly night air. After a few seconds, she regained her senses and quickly ripped her arm from the man's grip. "How did you know my name?" was the first question that tumbled out of her lips as the stranger turned around to face her. Once again she felt that tug in her mind, telling her she knew this person and yet she couldn't find the name to match.  
  
"I just did..." came the young man's response as he ran a hand through his messy locks. "Kinomoto Sakura..."  
  
Sakura shivered slightly. Hearing someone she didn't know at all say her full name made her feel uneasy again. "You know, you do look familiar," Sakura admitted as she eyed the man thoughtfully. His gaze shifted from the ground to her face and their eyes simply clicked in place for a good minute or two.  
  
Coughing at the tension in the air, Sakura dug the heels of her pink shoes into the dirt before mumbling, "Well, according to Meiling-chan, I'm 'yours for the night'," she glared at the ground. "Oooh I swear I'm going to kill her..."  
  
"Oh, you don't like my company?" Syaoran couldn't help but ask.  
  
Sakura quickly looked up, shaking her hands in front of her. "No, no! I didn't mean that..."  
  
Syaoran smirked and shook his head, observing her as she looked away. "You don't seem like the type of girl to work at a place like this..." he glanced back at the club still partying the night away.   
  
"Well how would you know? You've only met me for a minute or two," Sakura shot back, wanting to fit in like all the others back at the Vibe.  
  
"I don't know," Syaoran shrugged slightly. "I just thought girls here would be all over me by now. You know, not kind of nervous and jumpy like you."  
  
"So you want me to be all over you?" Sakura tried to steady out her voice, daring to raise her eyes and stare at the amber-eyed man before her.  
  
Syaoran blushed, making Sakura grin with satisfaction. At last she wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable. "No! I like it as it is right now...with you standing over there and me standing over here," Syaoran said hastily. "Nice big gap for personal air space."  
  
"I see," Sakura smiled a bit, amusement dancing in her emerald eyes. "You seem to know alot about girls then, being able to read me like a book."  
  
He laughed at the statement. It was utterly not him to be able to read a girl's mind, nor to be able to judge a girl just by meeting her for less than ten minutes. Composing himself, he responded casually, "I know about other things too."  
  
"Like?"  
  
"Er...I sword fight, I like sports-soccer the most..." Syaoran suddenly paused. Something in his mind was surfacing again, and he couldn't believe how strange it felt to let those words leave his mouth. It was as if he had a conversation almost exactly the same as the one he was having now...and with someone...someone he couldn't quite remember..  
  
Sakura was suddenly immersed with the nagging feeling of having had a similar conversation as the one she was having now. She bit her lip in deep thought as she automatically closed her eyes...  
  
_ "Oh, I don't know...sword fighting, sports- soccer being my favourite, and cooking is enjoyable too."  
  
_ Frowning, she let that memory echo in her mind. She was sitting on a hill...that hill she always sat on when she was a toddler. The hill near the cemetery. And it was twilight...and she was sketching, and no, she wasn't alone. Someone with a deep, masculine voice was next to her, talking to her...and he was sighing.  
  
Opening her lips, she let her next memory flow out of her mouth. "Why sigh when you're such a talented guy? Too many girls lining up around the block?" She opened her eyes, feeling a smile lighting her face as she did so.  
  
Syaoran glanced up from the smooth pavement, catching the girl's twinkling eyes. "No that's not it. It doesn't matter how many talents I have because my life's planned," he felt something lift from inside of him as he let his memory guide him. He remembered. He had visited Japan, walked around...saw a girl sitting there near the cemetery...it was peaceful.  
  
Sakura's smile widened. Yes, her memory was telling her the truth. She had met this young man before. In fact, not too long ago. Grabbing the ends of that distant memory, she spoke clearly, "Next time I see Mr. Li Syaoran, he better be smiling."  
  
And Syaoran smiled, a bit lop-sided, but it was a smile. "Sakura Kinomoto."  
  
"Li Syaoran," Sakura repeated with a genuine smile before clapping her hands together. "I never thought I'd see you again."  
  
"Same here...I knew there was something familiar about you at first..." Syaoran noted.   
  
"Mmm hmm," Sakura agreed and laughed. "Talk about coincidence!"  
  
Syaoran grinned, but almost as quickly as it had appeared, it slipped away. Sakura noticed this sudden change of mood and instantly looked concerned. "Is anything wrong?"  
  
The chestnut haired male stared at her for a good while before questioning, "What happened?"  
  
Sakura blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"  
  
Syaoran frowned, "When I first met you...in Tomoeda, you seemed really...different, and yet you're the same..."  
  
Sakura felt her smile slowly disappear as she listened to Syaoran. "You were so...innocent? Just sitting on that hill, sketching away with the town below you. You seemed really educated and...and not a girl who'd work at..." he glanced quickly behind him and continued, "at the Vibe."  
  
She felt her defenses kicking into place as she replied not too gently, "Well, I guess you were wrong about me."  
  
Syaoran's brow furrowed, "You have to admit, it's strange. And I thought you said something about no traveling for you? Tomoeda isn't exactly in Tokyo. You did move."  
  
Sakura looked away hurriedly. "People change. Maybe I like my job. I like the Vibe and the girls I work with."  
  
"You didn't look too happy when the idea of whatever guy who could guess your name would get to have you for the night," Syaoran pointed out, his mind set on finding out what was wrong with this girl he had met three months ago.  
  
She bit her lip and shifted her eyes back to his steady gaze. "Ok, so I didn't expect that and I didn't like that, but everything else is fine."  
  
"And the way you dress..." Syaoran couldn't help but notice the difference. From the sweater and sweat pants to leather and tight tops.  
  
Sakura shifted in her spot uncomfortably, wanting to say something yet not finding the right words. Finally, she mustered up the coldest glare she could do and blurted out, "It's my life and I can do what I want with it. If you don't like what I'm doing, then that's your problem. Now, if you're done lecturing me about _my_ life, I'd like to go now," Sakura let out a breath and turned around quickly, nearly stumbling on her heels.  
  
Frowning deeply, he rummaged through his pockets and threw something towards Sakura. It landed in front of her, causing her to stop in her tracks and look down. Syaoran could not see her expression for her back was facing him, but she was bending down slowly to pick up whatever it was that he had thrown. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Sakura turned around.  
  
"What is this for?" She asked softly, clutching the bill in her hand.  
  
"What do you think?" Syaoran asked obviously.  
  
Sakura stared at him with confusion written on her naive face. Rolling his eyes, Syaoran threw his arms up in the air and said with exasperation, "Exactly! You don't even know what type of lifestyle you've got yourself into! You work at a night club. You're sent out here to 'be mine for the night'. What do you think all this is for?!"  
  
"...Entertainment?" Sakura answered with uncertainty.  
  
"Right, at least you got that part down," Syaoran mumbled.  
  
"Then why the money?" Sakura asked with pure confusion reflecting in her grass green eyes.  
  
He looked at her with disbelief and shook his head, "You really don't understand do you?" He paused, watching Sakura's blank face. "Just look in the mirror then!" He nearly snapped. "Look at the clothes you're wearing! The place you're working at! What else can you be but some high paid whore?!"  
  
More silence.  
  
Syaoran felt his own breath coming out heavily in the night air. He glanced at Sakura's face and saw the words sinking into her. She was slowly getting up from her crouched position again, the money still in her hands, her face slightly paler. Her lips shook as she spoke, "Is that what you think I am?" Her voice was soft, hurt...Syaoran couldn't tell, and he suddenly felt horrible. "I don't want your money," she finished off in a louder voice and threw the bill back at him, turning on her heels in record speed.  
  
"Then why are you choosing this kind of low lifestyle?!" Syaoran hollered after her figure. "Sakura Kinomoto! Answer me!"  
  
Sakura didn't bother to turn around as she screamed back, "Maybe I don't have a choice! Maybe I'm not like you, able to throw money around at random people!"  
  
"What do you mean you don't have a choice?!" Syaoran called out.  
  
And with that Sakura looked around her shoulder, her face slightly covered by her hair blowing in her face. Syaoran could not read her expression from afar, but he could tell she was not smiling, and that the conversation they were having was not light and cheery. "It's my life. I'm living it, not you. You don't seem to understand that," and with that she ran the rest of the way back to the club.  
  
Syaoran was left to stand there, wondering with frustration what had caused such a dramatic change in a girl he met three months ago. Sure, they had only talked for a couple of hours. Sure, they had almost spilt their heart and soul out that day on the hill. But Syaoran thought they really had something there. A bond maybe, even if they had been complete strangers. Just casual acquaintances.  
  
But he couldn't feel that bond anymore.  
  
And he somehow wanted it to be there. He wanted to help this girl who thought she had no choice, no other road to take. Syaoran wondered if maybe he could help this girl, and all the time he never thought about what a similar position they both were in.  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: Hmm, they didn't exactly hit it off in the very best light did they? .;; Welpz, things will get better...hopefully. Anywho, thanks for reading and R+R =)   
  
  



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